Church Saves $268,000 By Going Green

The First Baptist Church in Springdale, Ark., which has about 6,000 in attendance on Sunday mornings, implemented an energy savings plan in the last year and managed to save $268,000. The plan involves simple, practical things like shutting off the lights, powering down computers at night and turning down the thermostat over night.

“We tell our [staff]: Hey, act like you’re at home,” says Ben Mayes, the church’s executive leader of finance, explaining how simple the changes are. “I think biblically, you’re called to be good stewards of what God blesses you with, and I think that’s the underlying reason why you do it.”

A few things we can learn:

They partnered with a company called Energy Education. Churches partnering with things can be a huge win and a great show of what God calls us all to.

They focused on two types of stewardship. This is an issue about the environment and the economy. This encourages people who care about each of these things. (Although, of course, people will still find a way to get upset.)

They taught. They did this, but they let their members and other church know about it to spread the word that they can help too.

They made sacrifices. The thermostat settings changed throughout the week (but not on Sunday), and people cut back. This helps make the goal personal and, in a small way, encourages people to live a life of sacrifice.

In the end it’s easy money saved in a tight economy that can be used for something more important. And it communicates your church’s priorities. Remembering to turn off the lights to do more missions–that’s good marketing. (via Monday Morning Insight)

4 Responses to “Church Saves $268,000 By Going Green”

I wanted to share a newly launched website with you, http://www.goinggreentoday.com. It is an online coaching tool that gives you a daily tip on how to live more sustainably. If you follow your plan, your household will save more than $2,000 per year while also reducing your carbon emissions by at least 30%! There is a $29 fee, though half of this money goes to an organization addressing global warming issues.

During the summer, our church office closes on Fridays. Closing that one extra day a week during the intense Houston heat has saved around $6000 a month on the power bill!
Installing cheap paper blinds in the classrooms cut the temp down by 20 degrees. Our youth upstairs went one step further: they blocked their windows completely with painted plywood.
If we can only convince the board to install solar panels, we’ll be in good shape! LOL

As an engineer/manager at a building automation company and as someone interested in being a good steward of God’s resources, I was excited to read this post. I’m not sure that most churches realize that they can take a few basic steps that will save them money that can be better used to reach people who are far from God. Thanks!